How to deal with rust and chipped paint bumper

Finally, you have found the best of Heavy Duty Bumpers for your road buddy, the one that keeps you safe from accidents and lets you ride the long journey with no issues. You are proud of your choice and take care of your bumper like it’s a family member, when suddenly you notice that its conditions are not at the usual highest standards. There, you find some rust or chipped paint and you immediately know that you need to act on it to ensure that it doesn’t get worse and that you can have your Dodge Ram Bumper back to top quality. Below you can find some tips and tricks that help you take care of rusty bumpers and chipped paint quicker than you can even think about having to replace it with a new bumper.

How to remove rust and repaint bumpers

Save your beloved vehicle from the invasion of rust thanks to a few simple tricks that help you bring its appearance back to its best form. It’s never too late to remove this unwanted coating, all you need to do to get started is to identify the type of rust you are dealing with and get the right tools to sort it out.

• Surface rust. This type is only affecting the top layer of your bumper, meaning that if you treat it in its initial chipped stage you have excellent chances of completely removing it. You can also prevent it by using automotive paint to regularly paint over any scratches as soon as they happen.

• Scale rust. If you don’t deal with rust problems immediately, the corrosion process ends up reaching the metal and potentially damages it. This chemical reaction is often due to road salts, which are what helps speed up the corrosion process. This scale rust is what compromises the whole integrity of the bumper.

Now that you have a better idea of what type of rust you are facing, you can go ahead and grab the tools that will help you fix it. You will need:

Mineral spirits, paint stripper, lint-free rags, a primer, spray paint that matches your vehicle, sandpaper, a plastic body filler and protective rubber gloves and a respirator. 

1. Start by removing your bumper from the vehicle, so that you can focus on working on that area alone.
2. Remove the old rusty paint with a paint stripper. You can use a plastic scraper to remove any stubborn paint that won’t come off.
3. For any scratches, use a plastic body filler to fill them in. Follow the instructions and mix the resin and hardener the right way, then apply it and leave it to dry. Afterward, you can use sandpaper to refine it.
4. Wipe the bumper with mineral spirits using a lint-free rag. Make sure you do it all the way through so that the paint can properly adhere to the surface.
5. Apply a coat of primer and let it dry for a couple of minutes, then apply another 3 or 4 coats. Once it’s all dry, wet sand the bumper with water and sandpaper. Proceed by wiping it down with mineral spirits.
6. Start spraying the paint of your choice over the bumper. Let it dry for a few minutes and then spray some more coats of paint. The lighter the color, the more coats you will need to spray. Once the paint is dry, you can wet sand the bumper with water and sandpaper and then re-apply the bumper to your truck.

How to deal with chipped paint on bumper

On your truck, you can find the exact number of paint color that has been used, allowing you to easily purchase the right shade to fix any chipped paint. To apply it, you will need an automotive clear coat and some cutting cream, alongside the aforementioned paint.

Depending on the quality of the job you want to do, you can either use the brush included in any paint scratching kit or buy a spray paint kit. If your truck has seen so many things in its life that bringing it back to its top form is not even thinkable, then the brush alone will do the job. While if it’s a new bud you still want to take exceptional care of, you might want to invest in the spray kit and make of it a more professional job. 

1. If the scratch you are working on presents some rust, use sandpaper to remove it beforehand.
2. Apply a coat of primer on it and then wait for an hour or two for it to dry.
3. Then, you can use the brush on the small paint bottle to carefully apply it over the scratch.
4. To top up the job, you can use some cutting cream, often included in a scratch paint kit, to make it smoother. Then paint it over again as many times as you think it might be needed to best cover that spot.
5. Finish the job with the automotive clear coat, so that it will shine like the rest of the paint on your vehicle.

Best quality bumpers for your vehicle

While rust and chipped paint are issues that even top quality bumpers might encounter, the best way to have to deal with these problems regularly is to get a high-quality bumper that is bound to keep as good as new for a long time.

Iron Cross Bumpers are the best buds of all drivers spending long hours on the road, keeping you protected from all kinds of accidents. You get everything an Aftermarket Front Bumper can offer, providing a gloss powder coat finish that will ensure you only have to deal with rust after many years of having one on your truck.

The Ranch Hand Bumpers are renowned for their duration, with a powder coat that will keep the rust off your mind for many years to come. Plus, the material makes it too stubborn to get damaged so easily from road salts.

While the Fab Fours Bumpers come with a 2 stage matte black powder coat that both give it a killer look and make it harder for the paint to get chipped. They’re a beauty to look at and give you minimal care effort.

The Silverado Front Bumpers offer a similar long lasting powder coat finish, with a cool design and a level of protection that can keep you safe from everything you might meet on the road.

Another two you can’t miss out on are the Hammerhead Bumpers and the ICI Bumpers. Both with top quality coat finish that let you drive along the road for many years before you even have to look out for any rust and chipped paint.

You can snatch any of these super duty bumpers at BumperOnly.com, the home to all high-quality bumpers that keep the rust away and let you enjoy the road in peace. While if you ever have to deal with bringing your favorite road companion back to its glory, simply follow the tricks we have listed above to easily remove any rust and sort out any chipped paint.